Make your own painting tray with built-in rack! Part 3

We are finally going to finish the basic tray and rack. You can go about this in several ways, but we will first cover the way I did it.

Now that we have the basic pieces put together, we need to drill some holes to put the paint brushes into. Along the back, I experimented with different drill bit sizes until I found one that accommodated the majority of my brushes. I then drilled holes at regular intervals along the whole back of the rack. Drill these all the way through.

Next, I had to dig out a heavy duty electric drill to use with my holesaw bit. I used a 4" holesaw, the kind they include with doorknob installation kits. Keep a good grip on the drill, because it will really buck when the bit gets a good bite of the wood. Be sure to follow all the recommended safety precautions when using power tools! (I.e. eye protection, hearing protection, etc.) Drill these all the way through.

Now I chose this time to affix a wood block measuring 2x3x3 onto the tray, and drilled some more holes for paint brushes. This time, since the block was large, I drilled a pilot hole from the underside of the board and used a regular drywall screw. In retrospect, I should have done this instead of nailing the top rack to the tray, but sometimes you just want to hammer on something, you know?

Now, to keep the nail and screws on the underside from scratching up the wife's kitchen table, I used a stapler to attach pieces of soft craft foam (brand name "Foamies", 38 cents a sheet at Wal-Mart) to the underside. This also helped keep it from slipping on the table.

We'll continue to add details later. For now, your tray is functional as a brush rack and painting area! By this point you can probably customize it to suit your own needs anyway.

For those who were wondering, I got the black plastic piece from the interior of an old junk car. It was the part of the dash that had knobs for the AC/heater and stuff. I don't really know for sure where it is from, but I imagine you can find something similar in an old car or even a car organizer from a department store might work.

Other options to customize your rack: (the one for painting, you sicko)
Add a border to the board
Drill in holes to accomodate paint pots
Add cubby for unusual pot types
Affix a tray to put hobby tools
Seal the project with varnish or paint

Hope this gives you some ideas!

Build your own paint tray, Part 2

Now that you have your materials together, lets start putting it together. I will go into depth for those who are not carpenters (as I am not one either).

First off, if you are like me, you will need to cut down your board so it actually fits on a table. Use a square to mark the number of inches you want to mark off on each side of the board. A chalk-line helps to make a straight line between the two points, but if you have a long enough level or square you can use it as a straight-edge and draw a line with a sharpie or a carpenter's pencil. My board was about 22 inches, so I cut off about 5 inches. Save this piece for later, you'll need it.

Next, time to build the rack portion. If your excess board you cut off is in the area of 6" or less, cut two pieces of the 1x2 to match the width of this board. If the excess is over 6", cut it down so it is between 6" and 4", your preference. Once you have your two pieces, take finish nails long enough to go through two layers of board and your 1x2, and nail them through. Be careful of the surface you do this on, as the nails might penetrate all the way through to a surface you would rather not be nailed to! After the nails are through, pound the tips over so they don't stick out.

Part 3 coming soon!

Make your own painting tray with built-in rack! Part 1

This is the first of yet another multi-part tutorial. This time I am covering the building of a painting surface that has a rack built into it. This rack will have spots for brushes, paint pots, and even cups of water. (Or a beer! Your choice, assuming you are legal drinking age. Can't say it steadies my hand, but some claim it does.)

First: the supplies. You will need these as a minimum:

A board of 1/4" plywood, preferrably MDF
Finish nails
Some screws
A drill with multiple bit sizes
A hole-saw bit (At least 3", preferably 4")
A piece of 1x2 board

These are supplies I recommend in addition to those above:
Felt or cork for bottom covering
Staplegun (contractor grade, for attaching the felt)
2"x3" block at least 4" long (true measure)
Handles (the long-arc type used for some cupboards)
Files and sandpaper
Wood-Stain or gloss varnish